71-year-old darts star Paul Lim has broken a World Championship record in becoming the oldest player to win a match at the tournament.

The Singaporean star has become a tournament icon in recent times, and extended his own record as the oldest player to taste victory on the Alexandra Palace stage on Saturday night.

44 years on from his first World Championship appearance, Lim beat Swede Jeffrey De Graaf, who is 35 years younger than him, 3-1 in a major first round upset.

Lim will now take on former world champion Luke Humphries in round two in what is his first tournament since 2022. Ranked 114 in the live rankings, having not previously been ranked, he toppled the sub-par De Graaf, ranked 49th in the world, with an average of 86.52.

'Luke Humphries, I've been watching the last few years and he puts so much effort and time into what he's doing,' Lim told Sky Sports after the match. 'He's a good guy, a gentleman and a great player.

'I just hope on a given day it can happen again. He's good but can be beaten.' 

He also said: 'First and foremost, I'm thankful to be here and I'm thankful to this crowd behind me. Just to make it here is an achievement.'

Before the tournament, defending champion and world No1 Luke Littler insisted he wanted to avoid Lim as he looks to defend his title.

Lim, who was heavily backed by the crowd inside Ally Pally, said in response: 'I thought it was a joke. A friend from Liverpool sent it to me and I thought it was just a gimmick. When I realised he actually said it, I thought he must be out of his mind.

'But honestly, I take it as a compliment. Maybe he feels the crowd will be behind me, and tonight they were.'

The winner of the tournament will pocket £1million, with Lim valued at 2000/1 to achieve that feat.

Asked what he would do with the prize money, he said: 'I'd give it to my kids and my grandchildren. Come on, I'm 70 [sic] years old – I don't need a million pounds.'